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<title>5 Times Crowley Asked Halt To Stay With Him And 1 Time Halt Asked Him by bonanasplit</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24152683">5 Times Crowley Asked Halt To Stay With Him And 1 Time Halt Asked Him</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonanasplit/pseuds/bonanasplit'>bonanasplit</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:40:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>783</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24152683</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonanasplit/pseuds/bonanasplit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>exactly what the title says. lots of pining!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Crowley Meratyn/Halt O'Carrick</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Ranger's Apprentice Quarantine Exchange Party</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>5 Times Crowley Asked Halt To Stay With Him And 1 Time Halt Asked Him</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/thursday11/gifts">thursday11</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>a gift for @thursday11 for the RA Quarantine Fic Exchange!</p><p>shoutout to @elizathehumancarrot for a. betaing this nightmare and b. coming up with. like half of the concepts dfkjjsfhf love you galoomba &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Halt had not thought it possible for him to wake up later than the absolute asscrack of dawn. The last few years in Dun Kilty, with the threat of Ferris attempting to kill him, he'd learnt to sleep quickly and deeply with his back to a wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was safest that way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when he slowly blinked himself awake in a room filled with the warmth and pooling sunlight of mid morning, his first instinct was to reach for his saxe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he became aware of the body nestled against his chest, trapping his arm to the surprisingly plush inn mattress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crowley's hair smelt like woodsmoke and fresh daisies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Halt shifted, grunting quietly as he tried to worm his arm out from under the still-sleeping man. As nice as it was to be curled up in bed with Crowley, they had to get on the road as quickly as possible. If the light in the room was anything to go by, it was close to 10am.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he didn't wake Crowley.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His arm now free, Halt slowly and gingerly detangled his legs from the other's, scooching backwards to avoid kicking him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crowley grumbled softly in his sleep as Halt moved, his head shifting automatically to the pillow when it could no longer rest against Halt's chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lips pursed, Halt rolled over and sat up, legs dangling over the side of the bed. Careful not to disturb the blankets too much and wake Crowley with a draft of cold morning air -- not that the air actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>cold, but it was the thought that counted -- he stood, giving his body a moment to adjust to being upright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once his head stopped spinning, he stretched, feeling his back and a few other joints crack in protest as he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His clothes were hastily folded on the floor by the foot of the bed, where they'd been abandoned last night in favour of an actual nightshirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(It was reasonably uncommon for Rangers to get the opportunity to actually sleep in less than full gear, and while in the field sleeping in a shirt, breeches and with a knife easy to hand was far more practical than just a nightshirt and underwear, that didn't mean it was comfortable.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crowley, his timing impeccable as always, woke up just as Halt finished the fastening on his breeches and tugged his nightshirt over his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Haaaaalt!"</span>
  </em>
  <span> His voice was plaintive, and somewhat muddled by sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Crowwwley!" Halt parroted back, turning to face his partner as he shrugged his shirt over his shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why'd you have to get up, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>warm!"</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Halt didn't answer, focusing instead on the ties of his shirt which were giving him some grief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mmphf." Crowley let out a small noise of disapproval as he sat up, sleep-rumpled hair tangling around his face. He ran a hand through it, wincing sharply as he inadvertently yanked on the knots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Here," Halt said, abandoning the ties and stepping quickly around the bed. "Move down a bit, and I'll deal with it for you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crowley yawned and obliged, shuffling down in the bed so Halt could sit behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The short-haired man set to work, running his fingers through Crowley's flame-colored hair, working the knots undone with his fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crowley never asked about it, but he'd noticed that Halt...</span>
  <em>
    <span>sang</span>
  </em>
  <span> when he was braiding the redhead's hair. It was a low, crooning melody in Hibernian, which Crowley was no great shakes at, but he fancied he heard the occasional </span>
  <em>
    <span>ma chére sœur. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My dear sister.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay," Halt's gruff voice snapped Crowley out of his reverie as the Hibernian tied off the braid. "That should do it, just don' t go sticking your head into any more damn shrubs, okay? I don't want to have to spend hours picking out little twigs and leaves again."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crowley grimaced. "Believe it or not, that was not any more fun for me than it was for you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Halt huffed, standing up again. As he moved into and then through Crowley's field of vision, he felt a hand wrap around his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Halt," Crowley's voice was soft, his eyes earnest and hopeful. "Couldn't you just...stay here with me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Halt drew in a sharp breath. He wanted nothing more than to say yes, to stay in this warm room with Crowley and count the freckles on his shoulders until they were both drunk on sunlight and love.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he was a Ranger, and that meant he had a duty to fulfill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(They both did.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gingerly, he twisted his wrist free, looking away. When he spoke, the words seem to stick in his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe-- Maybe another time, Crowley."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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